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The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf Announced

Atari lifts the curtain on this new console edition of the RPG series.

Atari announced that it will release a new game based on the PC RPG The Witcher for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in fall 2009. The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf is said to be a completely rebuilt console version of The Witcher with a new combat system and game engine. As before, it will be based on the mature fantasy universe of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

"The creative vision and dedication to the quality of the player experience that CD Projekt RED bring to the Witcher games is extraordinary, and it's great to be working with them to bring the Witcher universe to console gamers," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of Atari. "Taking this brilliantly realized world to PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 gamers for the first time is a breakthrough in the development of this important franchise."

"We're thrilled to continue our great relationship with Atari, whose refreshing focus on quality fits squarely with our own, to bring Geralt and the Witcher franchise to an even larger audience – fans who expressed to us very clearly that The Witcher would be a natural fit on consoles," said Adam Kiciñski, CEO, CD Projekt RED. "Console gamers' tastes are maturing; they're looking for deeper story-driven experiences that are very hard to find in today's console market. We're developing this remake based upon the compelling narrative that helped The Witcher on PC sell more than a million copies and win more than 100 awards, building everything else from the ground up to be the definitive console RPG."

Based on the universe created by best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf puts players in the role of Geralt, a professional monster slayer who exists on the fringes of a complex society troubled by the kind of problems more commonly found on the front pages of newspapers than in a fantasy universe. Taken as a child, mutated, and trained in the arcane ways of the witchers, Geralt is a reluctant hero, who nonetheless finds himself all too frequently in the heat of battles that are not his own. In this world there is no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences.

We'll bring you more on The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf as it becomes available.